Zombies invade Utica Saturday

Downtown Utica will host a Zombie festival on Saturday, Oct. 13, according to John Sattmann, owner of the Cass Bar and Grill and a member of the city’s Downtown Development Authority.

Sattmann said Utica will become “Zombiefied” with a zombie pub crawl, zombie booths in restaurants, a zombie walk with all kinds of gruesome and disgusting androids lingering in the city and the type of food often favored by zombies.

“All in the name of fun,” said Dawn Threlkeld, bartender at Cass Bar and Grill. “If you want to have fun and enjoy yourself — Utica will be the place to be.”

Sattmann, who bought the restaurant two years ago, has been working hard to boost Utica’s image. The town was once known as a place where young adults used to hang around and have a few drinks.

Sattmann said he and city leaders are convincing people that downtown Utica is a great place to walk around and shop and then sit down for a meal at one of the many eateries in the city.

“We thought a Zombie festival and Zombie Crawl would be great for people to enjoy especially with Halloween right around the corner,” Sattmann said. “October 13 is National Zombie Day and in honor of that our restaurants here will be offering all kind of food specials and there will be a lot of fun and games for the entire family.”

Sattmann said he wants visitors to dress up like zombies. He said he would like to see people look like the television show, “The Walking Dead.”

He also said people can make a $5 donation, which will benefit the American Red Cross, and get them discounts at stores and restaurants. They also will have a make-up artist to make them look the part of a full-fledged zombie.

Besides the Cass Bar and Grill, famous for its ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, the Lockerroom, Muldoons and Hatcheys also are putting on a different face for “Take a Bite out of Utica Zombie Crawl.” Another feature of the Zombie Crawl will be an entrails eating contest. People will have the opportunity to eat a meal that looks disgusting but is very tasty, Sattmann said.

“The meal consists of pulled pork and white rice,” Sattmann said. “The pulled pork is put in a natural casing and will not look appealing.”

Visitors also can visit a sinister haunted house down the street from the Cass Bar and Grill. It is sponsored by the Utica Lions.

Sattmann said he has had a lot of help developing the Zombie Crawl, especially from Kim Stone, owner of Pop!, a gaming store across from his restaurant. He said she has worked hard to attract people to downtown Utica. Her store sells a variety games.

“One thing I can guarantee — everyone who visits Utica on Saturday will get some great eating deals and have a scary time,” Sattman said.